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How to Overcome the The Curse of Comparison

There’s something about being holed up feeling crook that can really do your head in. Aside from the hurts and lethargy of course. That really bombs.

But once you get past that there’s the dangerous mid point where you still have brain fog, you can’t think straight enough to actually do any of the stuff you would usually love to do, the stuff that feels like it’s making life a little bit richer and more awesome, but you’re well enough that your brain is pushing you to do something.

so what do you do?

You might be tempted to fall back on that old procrastination favorite, surfing the Internet. Combine it with a little Twitter and you’ve found the perfect way to spend your precious time without any danger of being compelled to take action. Told you it was deadly.

But there is a worse crime, one that can sneak up on you and paralyze you completely without any warning at all. And if you’re sitting there all smug and content because you’re not poorly and think it can’t happen to you, don’t kid yourself my lovely. This happens to the best of us.

let’s call it the curse of comparison.

In your state of near-paralyzed thoughtlessness you start to fret and worry and, good gracious no, think. Oh that toxic combination.

Having devoured blog posts like there’s no tomorrow you start analyzing the content. You’re a smart cookie so you only read the best. Net result? You read posts full of sparkle and wit, really dazzling stuff that blows you away. And then the curse kicks in.

You don’t write like that. Your style is less powerful. Your turn of phrase is slightly less je ne sais quoi.

You start looking at your business model. Your site design. The stuff you’re offering the world. Maybe you need to tweak that line there? Or should you be doing that like she is? After all, it’s working well for them.

You say tomato. I say tomato. Come on love. Get real!

It’s time to crush that curse once and for all. It’s time to stop with the comparisons. The only person you can be is you. It’s the road of least competition too so it’s like a win-win proposition.

Grab a piece of paper and a pen. It’s homework time. Ready? Great!

make a list of all the totally awesome stuff you love to do. think about the things that make you sparkle. the stuff that sees you come alive and most zingy.

Start from that place the next time you feel the need to compare yourself to anything or anyone. That thing you’re thinking about doing, does it come from a place on that list?

Look at the stuff you’re offering the world. How does that thing you offer help you be more you? If it doesn’t build from stuff on that list, the truthful answer is, it doesn’t.

Doing something because it’s come to be expected of you is a pretty dire place to live. But the beauty of this life of ours is it’s never too late or too difficult to tweak your course or even totally change direction.

Just because you’ve invested six months of your life into something doesn’t mean you can’t just stop. Who wants to wake up another 6 months from now to find that that thing they stuck with because of someone else’s expectation still isn’t any more soul feeding than it was earlier?

and in the spirit of unabashedly doing your own thing, I have a little announcement.

Eight days ago I told you about a birthday special in honor of my eldest turning 8. But then I got sick and fell off the internet for the week. Emails went unread. Planned posts reminding you about the party fell by the way side. And logic told me that it was just unfortunate. You can’t have that time back again can you? Better wait until another time.

no way! this is my party and big girls don’t cry!

So the original birthday party offer still stands. It’s a special ‘pay what you can’ on all 1 on 1 dream-catching sessions until March 1st (our lovely Welsh Saint David’s Day) Just get in touch and let’s work out the details.

But wait, there’s more. You remember that day I forgot to tell school I don’t work their any more and I offered free blog setups for about a week? Yep, that’s back on too. I’m being a bit lazy now (cos the ‘proper’ way would be to list it all out here to save you having to click wouldn’t it?)

So whether you need some 1 on 1 help to capture the passion of you or you’ve found your thing but need an easy way to express yourself, I’ve got you covered. And this is what they call, a wrap.